Construction and/or engineering projects, particularly public works projects, typically involve coordination between one or more construction entities and/or one or more engineering entities performing the work, and one or more federal, state, and local regulatory bodies funding, supervising and/or otherwise monitoring the work. Generally, the construction and engineering entities must adhere to rules and regulations, including when, where, and how to operate. That is, the rules and regulations typically dictate conditions that would prohibit construction or operation on the site for periods of time. For example, construction and engineering is often shut down when hazardous or inclement weather, such as wind, temperature, snow or rain and resulting precipitation, is present in certain amounts. In some scenarios, construction teams are sometimes unable to operate on sites that are too wet. In practice, a contractor/engineer may simply shut down a construction site or call for an inspection of a construction site when the site receives a predetermined amount of rainfall because of unproductive work conditions, such as the lack of soil compaction.
When rain and precipitation are present, construction and engineering on the site is often dependent on an onsite inspection of the construction site. There, soil samples or water measurements, for instance, are physically taken from the construction site and then analyzed, as necessary. The precipitation levels are often compared to threshold amounts, as dictated by governing regulatory agencies typically. Traditional rain gauges have been used to determine precipitation amounts, but the use of these gauges alone can result in deficiencies and inaccuracies. Accordingly, another severe limitation of this “hands on” method is the investment of time, energy and costs. For example, in any given jurisdiction, particularly states with large square areas, numerous construction sites likely exist, and thus investigating each site becomes an onerous effort. Onsite inspections would likely require, at least, a sizeable staff of inspectors and travel. Additionally, the site surveyors responsible for collecting the data are likely associated with a large aggregate sum of compensation.
Moreover, conventionally, the decision regarding whether work on a construction site would be permitted when there is rain is based on physical samples obtained from only a few data points, if not a single data point, from the entire construction site. Thus, one data point that indicates there is an excess amount of rainfall, or resulting precipitation, can shut down an entire construction site for one or more days. Yet, it is possible, common even, for rain to affect one area of the construction zone, but not affect another. Under traditional regulatory schemes, however, the entire construction zone would be subject to be closed to construction crews or a time-intensive, cost prohibitive, onsite inspection if any area within the construction zone meets the threshold level of precipitation.
The deficiencies of such a sampling technique are exemplified on a construction project covering several miles. Conventionally, regulations would require samples/readings to be taken at the site after a storm event to determine if the site is suitable for construction operation. Thus, the regulatory body or the construction entity would deploy inspectors to perform a site inspection. Rain on the proximal end of the roadside project may shut down the entire project, regardless of the fact that no rainfall fell on the distal end of the project.